Embracing Originality
by Adevlo. D
Summary: Their first day together was certainly something to remember, but who would have guessed it would have led to something so irrevocably profound? This is the tale of the black sheep of the Uchiha family meeting, and undoubtedly falling in love with, the outcast of future Konoha.
1. Incorrigable Encounters

**A/N: **This is my second favorite pairing other than MinaNaru! ^_^ There needs to be more of this type of fanfiction pairing in the world so here I am adding to it! Hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Naruto characters.

**Warning:** Yaoi (malexmale), crude language, explicit sexual content, nudity, shounen-ai/BL (Boy Love),

**Rated: **NC-17

**Pairing:** Obito Uchiha & Naruto Uzumaki, slight Kakashi Hatake & Naruto Uzumaki

**Summary:**_Their first day together was certainly something to remember, but who would have guessed it would have led to something so irrevocably profound? This is the tale of the black sheep of the Uchiha family meeting, and undoubtedly falling in love with, the outcast of future Konoha. _

**Mood Song: **Baby It's Fact by Hellogoodbye

* * *

**Embracing Originality**

**Part I/III**

**Incorrigible Encounters **

"Why do we need to bring _him_ along?"

Minato sighed loudly and rubbed his temples in annoyance at his annoying student. Rin rolled her brown eyes exasperatedly while Kakashi merely inspected their newly acquired teammate who stood beside his sensei reticently. The teenage boy looked so much like the man that if Kakashi didn't know any better he would have thought Naruto was Minato's son.

"_Because_ Obito we need the extra man-power for this mission." Minato explained sternly. Obito glared at the blond standing next to his sensei.

"We have all the man-power we need. We don't _want_ him." Obito spoke haughtily, making Naruto narrow his icy-blue eyes at him.

"What's your problem, asshole?" Naruto snarled walking the few steps needed to be in Obito's face. The young Uchiha didn't even flinch as leaned his face closer, his hands balling into fists at his sides.

"_You're_ what's my problem, _punk_." Obito spat out angrily. Naruto growled and before he could wipe the smug look off the bastard's face, a firm hand on his shoulder pulled him back.

"Knock it off you two." Minato reprimanded, giving both boys a hard look.

"Honestly Obito, do you really have to pick a fight with him? Leave him alone!"

Obito glanced at his teammate, all earlier anger dissipating in that very instant as he stared at her. She looked so cute when she was annoyed! Beside her, his bastard rival shook his head.

"Okay you guys, let us begin introductions! Naruto, you go first!"

The blond boy glared up at the evil man known as his future father before staring at the three other teens there that were watching him with mixed expressions of boredom and curiousity.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I have recently been transferred from Uzushiogakure no Sato in order to become a shinobi of Konohagakure; henceforth, the reason I'm here." The lie spilled came forth from his lips with practiced ease, sounding monotonous and bland on Naruto's behalf. He almost seemed bored with it if one scrutinized close enough. Obito happened to catch the flatness of the boy's tone of voice and opened his mouth to point it out but was interrupted by Rin's abrupt squeal of delight.

"Is he related to Kushina-san, Minato-sensei?" she questioned while raking her eyes over Naruto's timid form. Minato smiled at his only female student and nodded to her, patting Naruto's head when he fidgeted nervously under Rin's inspection.

"I'm her second cousin from her dad's side." Naruto said with a small smile adorning his pink lips. Minato chuckled and pinched the younger's cheek. He didn't know why but the little brat brought out the touchy-feely part of him! Naruto was like his own little mini-me!

"You're up Rin!"

The girl straightened her posture, any traces of childishness vanishing as she smiled politely at Naruto.

"My name is Rin! I am the medic-nin of this team. It's really nice to meet you, Naruto!" the blond flashed the girl his pearly-white smile, his earlier bashfulness slowly disappearing.

"Uchiha Obito." Obito begrudgingly introduced himself without meeting the blond's eyes.

"Hatake Kakashi." the silver-haired teen stated nonchalantly and Naruto nodded in his direction. This Kakashi was going to be just as swell as the older one, he could just tell. Nothing a little Naruto-magic wouldn't fix, he surmised.

There was a moment of awkward silence before Minato decided to clear his throat.

"Well, you were all debriefed on this mission ahead of time so I'll just get straight to the point. This mission will take two months at the most and during that time we will be situated in Uzushiogakure no Sato making sure that no possible threats get past their defenses. Word has spread about the Uzumaki clan's newly-invented seal and all ninja alike want to get their hands on it." Minato stated with disconcerting eyes. Rin chewed on her bottom lip nervously.

"Ano, sensei…what does it do?" she asked the question that had been going through their heads. Their sensei gave them a stern look, lips set in a thin line.

"It has the ability to take away ones chakra forever."

Obito _swore_ there had been thunder crashing right when those words passed his sensei's lips. Minato straightened his posture, coughing into his hand distractedly before averting his eyes from the flabbergasted gazes of his students. They were just too damn cute for their own good sometimes!

"Alright, let's move out!"

* * *

"Oh Kami-sama, we've been walking for almost _seven hours now_. Can we take a rest already, sensei?" Obito groaned and fell to the dirt ground face-first for dramatic affect. His feet were hurting and the sun had _just_ started to set, abandoning it's post in the sky from shooting down rays of heat on them. His two teammates walked passed him and then suddenly there was a sharp jab at his side. Obito yelped and sat up, glaring at a smirking Naruto who continued on walking.

Ahead of Naruto, Rin slouched and wiped her sweaty forehead. Kami-sama, who knew mid-April could be so hot?

"I agree with Obito this time, sensei. We should stop to set up camp for the night before it gets too dark." She confessed and beside her Naruto nodded his head in agreement. Minato glanced at them momentarily before sighing in defeat and headed to the forest, experimentally taking a whiff of the air to see if there were any streams or rivers nearby.

Luckily, he smelt the faint trace of freshwater and redirected his team deeper into the forest. They reached a fairly small clearing within the woodlands and it was a couple of yards away from the water. They set their things down onto the forest floor, three out of the four letting out relieved sighs and rubbing their aching shoulders.

"I'm going to check the perimeter. I'll be back in five to ten seconds." Minato disappeared within the trees and Naruto raised an eyebrow at Rin.

"Doesn't he mean five to ten minutes?" he questioned her and she simply chuckled, but it was Kakashi who answered his inquiry.

"No, he meant seconds."

"But how-" Naruto was interrupted by a large hand clamping around his shoulder and a firm body pressing closely against his backside.

"I'm back." A deep, husky voice whispered in his ear, tickling the strands of his blond hair and fanning breath into the shell of his ear.

"_Gaaaaah!_" Naruto instinctively jumped away from Minato and later, he would deny any and all accusations of shrieking like a little girl.

Minato laughed heartily at the boy's reaction, as did Rin and Obito. Kakashi merely looked amused as they watched Naruto angrily mutter about going to "get some damn water" and then proceeded to stomp off, canteen in hand.

After the laughter died down Kakashi and Minato went around gathering branches and twigs for the fire while Obito went about trying to actually get the flame going with the little amount of burning material they had. He had been twirling a stick furiously within his palms when Rin came up to him, towel in hand and a brush in the other.

"I'm going to go wash all this dirt and sweat off me. Tell sensei I'll be back in ten minutes." Obito nodded to her, still too engrossed with trying to make the hunk of log under his stick create some sort of heat for the desired fire he wanted. He _needed_ to finish before Kakashi came and took over.

A minute into it, Obito suddenly paused. Wait a minute…Rin was going to bathe in the river….the same one Naruto had gone to ten minutes ago…and had yet to return from.

_Oh shit!_

It took awhile for it to click in his head but when it did, Obito was _furious._ He stood up and was about to leave but then his consciousness took over. The fire…

Obito stared at it for a long while before a sudden epiphany came to him.

"The fuck didn't I think about this before? I can use my _katon_ jutsu!"

Making a few hand signs he blew a light fire into the pile of wood. The bark immediately caught on fire and Obito grinned, coughing out the excess smoke from his mouth. He didn't waste any more time in leaving to go save Rin from that blond bastard's prying eyes.

"I'm coming Rin!" he shouted determinedly to no one in particular. In a matter of seconds he made it to the crystalline river, his eyes frantically searching for a familiar head of spiky blond hair.

_There!_

Obito found him half-hidden behind a boulder attached to the edge of the river. He also spotted Rin in the river a few feet away from Naruto. She probably hadn't seen the pervert yet since her bare back was facing the young Uchiha and said pervert was hiding behind a rock, most likely peeping on her to get a glimpse of her womanly physique.

_Oh no you don't…_he growled mentally before jumping off the tree branch he was on and stealthily darting toward Naruto, making sure Rin and Naruto wouldn't be able to sense his chakra.

The young Uchiha was only a few feet away from Naruto when his foot accidentally stepped on a twig, consequently snapping it in half, but he did not pause. Naruto lifted his head at the sound, only for his eyes to widen when he saw Obito in the air, body and all flying toward him.

"Raaaahh!" Obito's battle cry rung through the air, disturbing the birds nesting in the trees and the squirrels living within their hollows. Rin snapped her attention to the noise and could only gap at what unfolded before her.

Naruto didn't have time to yell out his surprise when Obito's face collided right smack with his, causing the unimaginable that Naruto could only interpret as another repeat with Sasuke, but with a different Uchiha.

Pale lips smashed against pink ones in an earth-shattering kind-of kiss.

Obito's lips muffled Naruto's yelp and they both fell into the river from the force of the young Uchiha's tackle. The icy water prickled at their skin, causing a shiver to run through them. They separated, both of their eyes wide while in the water but only being able to see glimpses of tan or pale skin, blond or black hair because of the bubbles their fall had caused.

Tanned arms waved around franticly before finding Obito's hair and yanking on it with so much force that the young Uchiha yelped in pain causing water to immediately rush into his open mouth. A wild fist tried in vain to hit him but Obito managed to catch it since the bubbles had long since dissipated.

Consequently, it was also in that moment he noticed just how stark naked Naruto was, but he refused to let it affect him despite the blush that ran across his pale cheeks. Obito balled up his hand into a fist and gathered chakra into his arm, pushing through the weight of the water effortlessly.

Naruto gurgled and squirmed, raising his shoulder so the punch would land on it instead of his face. He winced slightly but gained composure when he pulled his trapped hand back and out of Obito's clutch. It was getting harder to breathe by the second but Naruto wouldn't let up until he taught that Uchiha bastard a lesson.

Thinking Obito was about to use his _sharingan_ any second he swiftly poked the boy's eyes, effectively blinding him momentarily. He let go of the young Uchiha's hair and kicked the boy in the abdomen and then landed another chakra-infused kick to Obito's head.

Naruto saw the boy try to yell in pain but he took the chance to swim to the surface before Obito managed to drag him back. His lungs needed oxygen quickly. Taking a big gulp of air once he reached the top he let his naked body sag into the ground, his chest heaving.

"Obito!"

He sat upright, now noticing Rin on the other side of the river with a towel tightly wrapped around her body and her hands cupped around her mouth nervously. She was staring at the watery, reflected form of Obito sprawled in the depths of the river. Fear struck Naruto's heart when he didn't see the boy's body moving in the slightest, just simply sinking to the river floor.

Not hesitating in jumping back into the water Naruto expertly dove in, chakra pumping his limbs as he swam toward Obito. Wrapping an arm around the boy's waist he swam back to the surface as quickly as his legs would allow him. It felt like an eternity before they finally made it. He dragged the other boy's body away from the river before collapsing onto the ground in between Obito's spread legs.

Naruto was heaving once more, forcing air into his lungs to regulate his pounding heart. Obito appeared to have lost consciousness from the amount of water he took in and despite the fact that Naruto was shaken to his very core he placed his quivering and wet hands on the young Uchiha's chest.

He counted to three before pressing down, trying desperately to remember what Kakashi had taught him back in his old days. Naruto did it again, but there was still no response from Obito's paler-than-normal face.

"Shit!" he cursed, repeating the action a couple of more times.

Again, no response.

Naruto crawled higher up the other boy's soaking body, pinching Obito's nose with his fingers and pushing his chin down with his other. He tilted his own head to the side and leaned forward, enveloping the young Uchiha's lips with his own and breathing into him.

The response was immediate.

Obito coughed violently, water pushed through his throat and out of his mouth. Naruto pulled back and watched him intently, relief flooding within him as he watched the boy cough up the remains of the water he had swallowed.

"Well, this is certainly a sight to see…" someone muttered off to the side and Naruto snapped his head to stare at his three other teammates standing there with shocked looks on their faces. Finally taking notice of the fact that he was still naked and practically sprawled on top of a coughing Obito made him blush scarlet. He scrambled off the other boy, but it was too late, Obito's coughing had ceased and it didn't take him long to realize their predicament.

"_You fucking basta-"_

* * *

"I swear I'm going to kill you one of these days."

Naruto rolled his eyes at the fourth empty threat Obito shot his way. The boy was currently sitting on the far end of the small clearing under a tree, knees pressed to his chest as he shivered within the towels and blankets wrapped around his trembling form. A trail of snot was hanging down his left nostril, coming right back down every time he sniffled. It added to the almost-drowned puppy look that he was pulling off at the moment.

"Yeah, yeah." he grunted in return, picking at the flames with his stick while Kakashi, who sat beside him, snorted. Obito turned his glare onto the silver-haired boy, snarling at the pair of despicable 'teammates' he had.

"What're you snorting at, you bastard!?" Obito shouted and Rin watched the exchange between her male teammates worriedly while she chewed soundlessly on the fried fish her sensei had cooked for her.

"At your incompetency, you moron." Kakashi replied without missing a beat. The young Uchiha growled and abruptly stood to point an accusatory finger at his rival.

"I'm not incompetent, you bastard! I oughtta punch your fac-"

"What are you so mad about anyway? I saved your goddamn life!" Naruto interrupted, having gotten fed up with Obito's voice. Honestly, he would have thought the boy would have been worshipping the very ground he walked on after the stupid stunt he pulled. But no, here Obito was cursing him to the seventh pit of hell for Kami-sama only knew what reason.

"You stole my first kiss! I was planning on giving that to my wonderful Rin-chan and you _stole _it before I could! And now, because of _you_, Rin-chan probably thinks I'm a fuckin' fag or somethin'!...Which I most certainly am not!" his breathing was ragged now, normally pale face having turned a bright shade of cherry red. Rin sighed tiredly and closed her eyes while Kakashi shook his head.

Naruto looked at him incredulously, refraining from shaking the boy in order for him to come to his senses. The girl _obviously_ wanted nothing to do with the young Uchiha, was he really that blind to see it? But before Naruto could judge Obito further, he paused. _Well,_ Naruto supposed,_ he's a lot like me back then with Sakura. _

"It's not like it was _my_ fault! You were the one who jumped me from out of nowhere!" Naruto countered back which made Obito falter for a moment, and only a moment before he rebutted.

"To stop _you_ from peeping on Rin-chan, you pervert!"

Everything was deftly silent.

"O-Oh my…" she blushed and hid her face in her hands. Instead of becoming outrageously mad like Obito had thought Rin would get, she surprised him by shyly glancing in Naruto's direction. Meanwhile, the blond boy didn't even spare her a look as he stood up and took a fighting stance in front of fire, the glowing flames accentuating the dark look he was giving Obito.

"What the_ fuck_? I was _not_ peeping in on Rin! I was washing off and then _she _came so I tried to sneak away before she got scared! Your dumb ass came and tackled me right when I was drying off!"

Obito was about to say something else but then visibly deflated. Naruto _did_ have a liable alibi….

…_Well, shit. _He thought, shifting uncomfortably under everyone's gaze. He had just successfully made himself look like the bastard instead of Naruto.

"…Yeah, well, you still stole my first kiss which belong to Rin-chan!"

Kakashi literally face-palmed and Rin groaned in exasperation. Naruto's lips twitched in amusement and his tense posture relaxed.

"It's not like she wanted to give it you anyway." Naruto responded snidely, making the young Uchiha flush in embarrassment.

"Y-You don't know that-"

"Yes he does."

Naruto almost, _almost_, felt sorry as Obito looked heart-brokenly at Rin who was calmly sipping at her water-filled canteen, eyes downcast. _Well, she didn't have to be so cold about it, _Naruto thought with a wince, her blatant disregard of Obito's feelings reminding him too much of Sakura.

"R-Rin-chan…"

The kunoichi suddenly perked up, igniting Obito's hopes once more, but quickly extinguished them once again when all her attention was on Naruto.

"All this talk about Obito's first kiss has got me thinking, Naruto-chan," he grimaced at the suffix at the end of his name but said nothing and so she continued, "did Obito-baka steal _your_ first kiss?"

Suddenly, all eyes were glued onto Naruto.

Even Minato, who had been dozing off atop a branch on the tree Obito had been leaning on, was openly staring at him in rapt interest. It was Naruto's turn to blush a pretty shade of pink, shifting nervously under every one's gazes.

"O-Oh...well, you see, it's kind of complicated-"

Rin gasped loudly, eyes as wide as saucers and twinkling with that weird sparkle girls' always seemed to get when discovering a new topic of gossip. Beside her, Kakashi was trying desperately not to look interested but failed miserably as he couldn't help but stare at Naruto as well.

Normally with other people he couldn't care less, but oddly enough he felt extremely attracted to the bashful yet exuberant Minato-look-alike. It was irritating to say the least since if he showed any interest at all his sensei would probably tease him to no end and Rin would become jealous as always. There was just something about Naruto that had him so fully captivated by every thing he did. The boy could probably fart and it would smell like flowers to Kakashi!

He was exceptionally curious of who the blond boy had kissed beforehand so he could know who to kill later on…

"Who did you kiss, Naruto-chan?" Rin pushed further, leaning dangerously close to the fire. Obito kept shifting his eyes onto her apprehensively. If she inclined any further she was surely going to fall in…

Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly, looking impish as he tried to sink into himself, hoping the earth below would just swallow him whole once and for all.

"A-Ano-saa…"

"Was she any good?"

Naruto's blush deepened and he really wished at that moment in time that he wasn't such a bad liar.

"I-It wasn't a girl…"

There was a stretched silence and Naruto took that chance to peek up at them. All three of them had shocked looks on their faces, mouths slightly agape, especially Obito's.

It didn't take long for the young Uchiha to snap out of his astonishment and respond. As always his brain and his mouth had not been thoroughly introduced before he spoke.

"…You're a fag!" he shrieked, horror evident in his eyes as he backed away from Naruto almost as if he had been burned.

Rin reacted immediately, glaring harshly at Obito. She stood up and promptly punched him on the head, resulting in him hitting the ground with thud, blankets and towels strewn about the forest floor.

"Itaiii…"

Naruto rolled his blue eyes at the young Uchiha, irritation crossing his features.

"No, you bastard, I'm not a fucking faggot. It was a freak accident." He explained simply, his normally happy face morphing into anger. The way Obito had called him that…it looked as if he had been disgusted. As if Naruto were lower trash. Obito had given him the same look the villagers back in his time had thrown at him. It made his more unpleasant memories resurface and Naruto didn't like it one bit.

He felt the ugly emotion of resentment toward Obito well up inside him. If the other boy felt that much repulsion toward a person he thought was a homosexual then Naruto could only imagine how he'd react to knowing he was a jinchuuriki. The knowledge of how fickle-minded people were pissed Naruto off but he chose to stay silent. If he said something now there was no telling how it would affect the mission later on considering the fact that they were going to have to be together for at least two months.

"I'll take first shift tonight." Naruto spoke monotonously which wasn't missed by his fellow teammates. Minato frowned at the dullness that was in the boy's eyes. There were so many things he had yet to learn about Naruto and so that's why he let the boy have his way and didn't try to stop him when he jumped into the darkness of the trees and disappeared without a backward glance thrown their way.

Kushina had warned him that even though Naruto was fourteen years of age and always seemed to be happy and spirited, as many young boys his age, there were many things that would always haunt Naruto. She hadn't explained to him the extent of his problems, only cautioning him to always keep a watchful eye on her pseudo-brother.

Naruto was obviously upset and, by the looks of it, everyone knew who was to blame.

Rin's glare was so fierce Minato thought Obito was about to burst into flames and even Kakashi had his eyes narrowed at the young Uchiha. Minato jumped down from his perch on the tree and placed a hand on Obito's shoulder. The boy had lowered his head, black bangs casting over his equally black eyes.

"Get some rest you guys, we have a long journey ahead of us tomorrow and we'll have to head out early in order to make it there by sunset."

Kakashi and Rin let up on their glaring and nodded stiffly, going about their task of setting up their sleeping bags to turn in for the night. Obito sluggishly did so as well, movements languid and heavy. Minato could tell the boy was guilty and decided not to worsen Obito's mood by giving him another one of his lectures. Obito was a kind soul by nature, he'd figure out how to fix things eventually.

After securing the perimeter once again Minato sat back in his usual spot on the tree. He glanced down, looking at Obito's slouched form sitting by the tree, chin resting on his folded knees and arms curled around his legs. The other two were sound asleep in their sleeping bags yet the young Uchiha was still awake, staring blankly at the dancing flames.

Minato's face remained emotionless as he spoke, "I'm sure he won't disregard you if you try and talk to him." Obito didn't move for a while and Minato was just about to lean back and close his eyes when he saw the boy stand out of the corner of his eye.

Not a second later he disappeared into the trees.

Minato smiled to himself, leaning back against the tree and closing his eyes.

It took Obito awhile to find Naruto. He had kept trying to look within the trees and on the ground but when he finally realized that neither places were the right choices to keep watch he began to search for the highest tree. Sure enough he found Naruto sitting on a twenty-foot tree scattered with a few, almost-bare branches.

Even though the boy was the brightest person Obito had ever seen, it had been tedious to find him. He was blending in so well with the shadows of the tree despite the bright full moon high in the sky. The only reason Obito had spotted him was because of Naruto's foot swinging leisurely back and forth.

He stealthily made his way up the tree, careful not to alert the other boy that he was coming in case he decided to run away from him. Minato's assumption might turn out to be wrong. When he was only a few feet from the branch Naruto was perched on he gracefully jumped the rest of the way, standing tall in front of the blond who was staring fascinatedly at the moon, almost dreamily even.

Obito calmly sat down next to him, glancing at Naruto every so often before finally gaining the courage to talk to him. He kept his eyes firmly planted on the swaying leaves of the trees below.

"I uh…I wanted to apologize to you…Naruto. I didn't mean what I sai-"

"Shut up."

His head snapped up at the crude statement and he turned his blazing eyes onto Naruto who was staring straight at him, calm and collected. His azure irises were practically glowing amidst the shadows concealing him.

"Look here bastard," Obito growled sourly, hands balling up into fists at his sides. "I'm trying to apologize for calling you a fa-" he caught himself before he could accidentally insult Naruto again, "…_that _word."

Nauto narrowed his eyes at him and Obito shifted uncomfortably, a light blush adorning his cheeks.

"Whatever. You're taking the next shift." He didn't even offer Obito so much as a goodbye, jumping off the tree and plummeting to the trees below. The young Uchiha shouted his name and desperately tried to catch him, fearing the boy was going to fall to his death, but it proved to be in vain as he watched Naruto land gracefully on the ground with only a rustle of wind

Obito openly gaped at him before he let out a string of curses. He wanted to go after the other boy but leaving a post was always dangerous so he opted to sit still and keep watch.

He'd try again tomorrow.

* * *

**A/N: I really hoped you liked it guys. I needed to get this out of my head before I went crazy. Don't worry though I haven't abandoned my other stories!**


	2. Reconcilation

**A/N: **I humbly apologize for the long wait. School is really starting to pound on me since exams are coming up. Please enjoy and review!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Naruto characters or the image shown above.

**Warning:** Yaoi (malexmale), crude language, explicit sexual content, nudity, shounen-ai/BL (Boy Love),

**Rated: **NC-17

**Pairing:** Obito Uchiha & Naruto Uzumaki, slight Kakashi Hatake & Naruto Uzumaki

**Summary: **_Their first day together was certainly something to remember, but who would have guessed it would have led to something so irrevocably profound? This is the tale of the black sheep of the Uchiha family meeting, and undoubtedly falling in love with, the outcast of future Konoha. _

**Mood Song: **Memory by Sugarcult

* * *

**Embracing Originality**

**Part I/III**

**Reconciliation**

"Do you need help with that, Rin?"

"O-Oh, well, if it's not too much trouble…"

"Not at all-"

"Rin-chan~, your lips are so sooooft…."

The bear-like snore that followed the sleep-induced statement had Rin's temple visibly throbbing. Naruto flinched as she roughly shoved her sleeping bag into his arms with a mumbled "hold this" and stalked her way toward the lump a few feet away from them.

She pulled back her fist and Naruto winced as a crack resonated throughout the forest.

"_ITAAIII!_"

Behind Naruto, Minato sighed and shook his head, resuming his weapons check as if nothing had happened. Kakashi merely watched all of them with dispassionate eyes that made the little hairs on the back of Naruto's neck stand at attention from the intensity those smoldering, gray eyes were staring at him in particular.

_Damn, even young Kakashi is a creep, _he thought with a shudder.

"What was that for, Rin-chan?" Obito whined pitifully whilst rubbing his throbbing head. Kami-sama, that girl had one killer sucker-punch (one of the qualities he found hard to think was lovely about her in any way since they were always directed at him for no absolute reason).

Rin simply glared down at him with a scowl firmly etched on her girlish features. Her eyes were ablaze with fury but softened within seconds as she watched her adorably disheveled teammate try and disentangle himself from within the confines of his sleeping bag, but to no avail. She ripped her gaze off of him before she could coo over his childlike behavior and went back to Naruto, who had already set about the task of trying to stick her sleeping bag into her backpack, but was also failing miserably.

She froze mid-step though, looking at Naruto sitting on the ground and fumbling with her supplies and then turning back to Obito who sat cross-legged on the ground, groggily attempting to do the same thing with his own things.

Both boys looked so alike it was uncanny. If only Obito had those same whisker-like scars Naruto had, then they'd look like twins! Albeit, with polar opposite skin and hair color.

It was weird how much they looked physically similar and acted the same childish way they did (although, Obito was obviously more immature), but yet despite the obvious similarities between the two boys, they acted like they hated each other's guts! Rin furrowed her eyebrows together in thought, _maybe if they'd just talk things out and got to know one another then perhaps-_

Her musings were cut short when her name was called out in a sort-of babyish whine. Rin blinked at the sight that met her eyes and promptly snorted. There, kneeling resignedly on the ground was Naruto, tangled within her sleeping bag looking as if his puppy had just gotten kicked, and to the right of her Obito was getting strangled by his own sleeping bag.

Honestly, she didn't know whom to go to first. On one hand, Naruto looked so painstakingly cute with that pout of his, but on the other hand, Obito _was_ going to suffocate to death if she didn't do something soon…

Sighing in relief when she noticed Kakashi pushing himself off the tree he'd been leaning on to help Naruto with her sleeping bag, she slowly made her way over to her rowdy teammate. Giving the fabric a harsh tug she successfully managed to detangle Obito, the latter letting out a squawk as his body landed unceremoniously on the ground. Rin only sighed exasperatedly.

"Idiot…" she grumbled, turning her gaze to stare longingly at the two boys neatly folding her sleeping bag. What she would give to be in Naruto's place right now…

Glaring angrily down at Obito as if it were his fault her crush wasn't with her brushing hands in the midst of folding, she stomped over to her sensei but not without giving Obito a sharp kick to the leg.

"Ouchiiee…" Obito groaned, not having the resolve to show any malice toward his female teammate even though he _knew_ he hadn't deserved that one.

"Kakashi, grab that end over there."

"Don't tell me what to do."

"_Grab it._"

"No."

"For the love of- just grab it will ya?"

"You grab it."

"Don't you think I would have if I could?"

Minato and Rin watched with amused and disbelieving eyes as Kakashi actually _bickered_ with Naruto. For a moment there Rin believed they had been put under a _genjutsu_ of some sort, because there was absolutely no way that _the_ Hatake Kakashi was speaking more than two words at a time. And least of all to a person he hadn't even properly known two days ago!

Naruto clenched his teeth together in frustration, angrily curling his fingers into the fabric as he stood in front of Kakashi, who was gazing at him expectantly. Jeez, what was up with the testosterone levels in his two male teammates? It was like they tried to size him up in everything he did! Was it always going to be like this?

Reluctantly, and with muttered curses under his breath, Naruto grabbed the stray flap with much difficulty. It kept going further away from him every time he moved, so much so that he had unknowingly pressed his body flush against Kakashi's own. He hadn't noticed though, merely grinning triumphantly when the annoying flap finally found refuge on Kakashi's hip, in which he chose that opportune moment to snatch it with his occupied hand.

There was a gasp to his left and he snapped his head toward the general direction it came from. His cerulean eyes twinkled with confusion as he caught sight of Rin and Obito openly gapping at him. Minato, on the other hand, looked positively gleeful what with his unusually wide grin threatening to split his face in half.

"What the fu-"

He didn't have time to finish his crude inquiry when he felt something brush up in between his thighs. Before he could possibly screech like a little girl again, the unknown object had successfully nudged him away from Kakashi's personal space, and he finally took notice to the lack of warmth that had once been pressed up against him.

Naruto turned a bright shade of crimson.

_Oh no,_ he groaned internally, _not again! They probably think I'm a flaming homosexual by now!_

"Ah, Kakashi, I'm so-"

The other boy didn't let him finish though, choosing to stuff his ends of the sleeping bag into Naruto's hands.

"Hurry up so we can move on already." He grumbled sourly, stalking away from his group in favor of gathering his gear.

Minato smirked as Kakashi shot him a menacing glare when he failed to stifle his chuckle. He couldn't help it! Kakashi looked so adorable trying to hide that blush of his! Maybe Naruto really would be a good influence on the group…

As always, Kushina had been right about her outlandish predictions of the future. With a roll of his eyes, Minato stood up, watching amusedly as Naruto frantically stuffed Rin's sleeping bag into her pack, face still beet red.

"If we live now we can arrive there by nightfall. Don't forget to fill up your canteens before we leave, alright?" As expected, Rin was the only one to nod enthusiastically, promptly setting about the task while dragging Naruto with her.

Minato could only shake his head as both Kakashi and Obito watched them leave with almost forlorn eyes, albeit one more discreet about it than the other.

It was nearing the afternoon when all of the team was feeling the affects of Obito and Naruto's tension. It had been Minato's bright idea for the two of them to bring around the back of their formation, leaving the boys a few paces away from the rest of their team members.

Rin kept sneaking worried glances at her two teammates now and again. She was afraid that one of them would end up strangling the other if neither of them chose to clear the air soon. The pregnant silence was suffocating her, and she could tell it was affecting Kakashi as well from how rigid his posture was. Up ahead, Minato seemed unperturbed by the ordeal, his icy blue eyes staring straight forward and his head held high.

Raking a hand through his spiky black hair, Obito let out an irritated sigh. Now really was the perfect opportunity to apologize to Naruto once again, but, stubborn as he was, he couldn't particularly find the right words that would just _have_ to make the blond boy forgive him once and for all.

_Ah, fuck it. What's the worst that could happen?_ He thought while finally gaining enough balls to at least clear his throat before speaking.

"Hey, uh, Naruto?"

He'd expected for the other to ignore him, but to his surprise blue eyes flickered their curious gaze onto him. Obito flushed, the intensity of those sapphire eyes, which sparkled so brightly in the sunlight, all of a sudden making him nervous.

His throat felt parched and he swallowed thickly, averting his gaze to the ground and then back up at Naruto, who was pinning him with an expectant gaze.

"About last night…" Obito trailed off, shame clearly written all over his face. Naruto remained silent and for that, the young Uchiha was grateful.

"I didn't mean to offend you or nothin'. It just came as a surprise. I really don't have anything against, well, ya know, people who swing that way." He was rambling now, that much was for sure. Out of nervousness he placed a hand on the back of his neck, chuckling sheepishly at the blond boy. Naruto was still looking at him with that same expression and it was doing a good job of unnerving Obito.

"So yeah," he continued, his slight smile a bit strained and his words tight, "sorry, man. It's okay if ya swing that way, I don't mind. Just tell me if ya start fallin' in love with me or somethin' so I can tone down my awesomeness." He laughed a bit at his own joke, but it didn't last long when he finally noticed that Naruto had stopped walking all together and was now standing stalk-still in the middle of the road, eyes looking straight at the unmoving earth below his feet.

Raising an inquisitive eyebrow Obito walked the few steps needed to close the extended amount of distance in between Naruto and him.

"Naruto?" he questioned, eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Do you feel that?" the other boy suddenly managed to croak out, unconsciously raising a hand to fist the fabric of his navy-blue shirt right above his navel.

"Feel what?"

Obito was thoroughly confused by now. He didn't _feel_ whatever Naruto was talking about, and by the way the other boy was holding his stomach, he'd bet it was just gas. Although, the look on Naruto's face had him thinking otherwise, and just as he was about to ask what exactly it was the blond boy was feeling, there was a rustle of leaves and then a blinding white pain shot up his right arm.

"Obito!" Naruto shouted, eyes wide as speckles of his teammate's blood landed on his face. He had tried to wait for Kakashi-sensei's signal of what to do but once he remembered that he was on foreign land in an era he was not familiar with, his fight or flight instincts kicked in and adrenaline coursed through his body as he darted forward, one arm wrapping around Obito's uninjured hand and dragging the shock frozen boy with him into the forest, not even bothering to check for the rest of his team.

There were footsteps echoing through the forest as their enemy jumped through the treetops and Naruto faltered for a moment, but that was all it took. _Senbon_ needles rained down on them and it was all too familiar for Naruto. Flashes of blood and ice crystal mirrors, a strong, young body falling to the ground, and then liquid fire coursing through his veins had him breathing heavy and shaking with unrestrained panic.

"Sasuke!" he screamed, eyes wide with fright because he would not let Sasuke get hurt again, not on his count. This time it was not going to be his fault. He pushed the other boy with all his might and successfully got him out of danger, but as for him, he wasn't so lucky.

The minute Naruto jumped backward he felt the familiar sting of needles imbedding themselves into the flesh of his thighs, arms, and shoulders. Groaning in discomfort as his back was slammed into a nearby tree, he didn't let the miniscule attack deter him and pushed his body against the wood, searching around for a familiar head of inky locks.

From his peripheral vision he noticed a sudden movement and, with instinct overriding his senses, he whipped out the hidden _kunai_ knife from his sleeve and charged.

"Naruto!" a familiar voice hissed and it took all Naruto had not to sink his weapon into Obito's head. They stood in front of each other, breathing ragged and eyes wide. Naruto blinked, slowly bringing down his _kunai_ when he noticed that the person he had undoubtedly saved was not Sasuke.

Obito frowned at the glossy, far-away look the blond boy was giving him but didn't dwell on the matter, instead choosing to grab Naruto's hand to lead him further into the forest. He knew the drill. If any of them were to be separated from the group then it was up to them to escape their enemies either by losing them, or engaging them in battle to survive. Right now, it seemed as though they had no other choice than to spill blood.

The rustling of leaves and wisps of fractured air alerted him once more of their surroundings and he sped up their pace even more. Naruto still hadn't snapped out of whatever phase he was in so Obito clenched the calloused hand in his uninjured one tighter and proceeded into the forest, looking frantically for a place to hide because from the sound of it, there wasn't going to be just another single enemy attacking them that he could easily defeat like the previous one.

They were running out of time, that much was for sure, and just as the young Uchiha was about ready to take his fighting stance and take on their enemies head on with Naruto behind him, a warm hand wrapped around his wrist and tugged him down. Both boys scrambled into the small crevice at the base of a tree, their bodies barely fitting but they wiggled and squirmed until they were in, their breathing heavy and loud once situated.

It was a tightknit space for two grown teens but they said nothing when thighs touched thighs and faces became dangerously close to one another, their puffs of breath intermingling. They did not squirm in discomfort as pale, bare skin slickened with sweat rubbed against caramel-colored flesh, and they certainly did not shout when lips brushed against cheeks.

The adrenaline coursing through Obito had him breathing heavily and muscles quivering with anxiousness. Naruto was glaring fiercely at him to be quiet but he just couldn't. He had been so ready to fight and now, they had to wait in the constricting hollowness of a tree. The heat was stifling and their sweat mixed together, wounds seeping blood and dripping onto the earth.

Shouts of orders were heard from the outside and Naruto placed a calm hand at the base of Obito's neck, bringing the other's head down with his, their foreheads touching, and placed his other bloodied hand on the young Uchiha's mouth.

"Relax." He whispered softly, his own body taut and strained. There was no struggle between the two, their previous conversation before any of this escaping them, because now nothing else mattered other than survival, and for that to happen they had to trust in each other.

"Did you find them?" a voice from the outside barked, sounding a couple feet away from where the two boys were located.

Obito's fist clenched at his sides and Naruto held onto the other boy tighter, eyes narrowed at him. If they even so much as breathed the wrong way, it could mean the life of either two, or both, and he would not allow that despite how much the Uchiha rubbed him the wrong way.

"Negative." Another replied and there was muttered cursing.

Both their faces were flushed over by now, sweat trickling down their foreheads and getting in their eyes. The heat in between them was radiating in waves. It was hot outside, and coupled with the fact that their bodies were so heated and folded awkwardly against each other inside of a tree, it felt as if they were being roasted inside an oven.

"Find them. _Now_."

And then there was terse silence.

Neither one of them spoke for precautionary reasons, not even attempting to _breathe_. Up until then they had held their breaths as long as they could and they could feel their lungs screaming for oxygen.

Both boys stared at one another. Naruto, losing himself in the onyx pools of Obito's eyes, which reminded him so much of Sasuke, and Obito spending his time analyzing every feature of the Uzumaki's face. The boy's irises were eerily bright despite the darkness inside their hideout and he could identify speckles of gold and red within them, being that they were so close.. The whisker-like marks on Naruto's cheeks had him pondering how he'd gotten them in the first place, and he vaguely wondered if they were rough to the touch or not.

After another moment or two had passed Naruto pulled away from Obito. The young Uchiha let out a quivering sigh of relief while letting his head fall against the tree bark with a resounding thud. They both relaxed their tense muscles and slumped against the walls of the tree, their bodies sliding to the ground.

"Ouch!" Naruto winced when Obito's stray foot accidentally bumped his crotch and the young Uchiha shot him an apologetic look, bending and spreading his legs just slightly to accommodate the other boy. His attempts were futile though because he was the bigger one of the two of them and only succeeded in making Naruto curl in on himself like a frightened animal that just happened to be pulling out _senbon_ needles from out of his body.

Thinking momentarily on what a better solution could be, Obito grew nervous and swallowed, glancing shyly at his blond teammate while patting the empty ground next to him. There was a stilled pause and then some shuffling before a body was brushing against his side, a leg bumping his own.

The little space they had was cramped for just the two of them but they still managed and neither one complained about the lack of personal space. After everything, it was the least of their problems.

They sat in mutual silence until Naruto finally spoke up.

"How's your hand?" he croaked out, his throat parched from the past heat that had been suffocated them both and from how long they had ran. The slight breeze reaching their heated skin from the opening felt pleasant for both of them. They couldn't afford to head out yet, not with enemy ninja so close to the vicinity.

Obito brought his hand up and looked at the injury he'd sustained at the very beginning of everything. The _kunai_ had only grazed the top of his hand thankfully, but it had managed to slash through the layers of tissue. The white of his bone was visible, but only barely.

"Holy fucking shit man, does it hurt?!" Obito raised an inquisitive eyebrow as he watched Naruto practically shriek like a little girl. The blond grabbed a hold of his hand with the upmost gentleness and examined the wound carefully. It fascinated him yet made him queasy at the same time.

Obito shrugged simply. He'd lost feeling of half his arm a while back, but his hand still throbbed painfully more often than not. The bleeding still hadn't stopped though and the crimson fluid dripped onto Naruto's clothing, seeping into the already blood-soaked fabric.

"Here, let me wrap it up."

There was some shuffling followed by a couple of grunts from Obito. It was difficult to move in such tight quarters but that didn't stop Naruto from digging into his backpack and taking out a roll of white bandages and a small container filled with what Obito could only assume was salve.

"I don't think that's gonna make it stop." he said slowly, watching how the other boy paid him no heed when he set the supplies on the ground and continued to rustle around in his bag.

"Aha!" Naruto exclaimed enthusiastically when he finally managed to find the small kit he'd been looking for. He clicked it open and pulled out a thin needle and Obito suddenly became agitated.

"Gimme your hand."

The young Uchiha shot the smiling blond an unsure look as he cradled his hand protectively against his chest.

"I'm not sure if I want to..." he confessed, glancing between Naruto and the shiny needle with a single thread already attached to it. The other boy rolled his eyes exasperatedly and gestured with his other hand expectantly.

"I've done this plenty of times before, just trust me here. If we don't close it soon then you'll leave tracks on our way back. Once we find the rest Rin can close it up properly."

Still a bit hesitant, Obito reluctantly gave up his hand to the other boy and shut his eyes tightly as Naruto settled his other hand on his wrist to begin stitching the wound close.

It didn't hurt any when the sharp end of the needle punctured through his skin, mostly because the nerves were already so tattered that he just couldn't feel it anymore. So, he peeked open his eyes and watched in rapt interest as Naruto knitted his eyebrows together and stuck out his pink tongue in concentration.

They were so close to one another now that Obito could feel the air move between them in tangency. Oddly enough, the closeness felt nice after the life or death situation they'd been in. He didn't feel so irritated toward the boy who had went out of his way to save him and now, to patch him up.

"Hey..." Obito spoke softly and Naruto stilled in his work to look up at him questioningly. The young Uchiha smiled at him warmly and Naruto felt his cheeks heat up slightly. This boy looked so much like Sasuke, yet acted so differently from him and it unsettled him to no end.

"Friends?" Obito offered and Naruto' lips twitched momentarily before nodding curtly and resuming the task at hand.

"Friends."

* * *

**A/N: I know most of you guys are confused now because of all the question-filled reviews I'm getting but don't worry, dudes. All will be revealed soon enough my dearies. Patience is virtue and all your questions will be answered in due time. Hope you enjoyed this though, so much so that you leave some kind reviews for me to giggle at.**


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